Beef Stew with Green Peas: Cooking with Alicia & Annie

While the instructions for this recipe said the use the microwave, I chose to use the crockpot. It was one of those busy days (3 out of our 4 kids are in sports) and I needed something to be done when way ahead of time, instead of trying to throw something together between shuffling kids here and there. 

This was a very tasty stew! I will definitely make it again. It was super easy, cooked all day and hit the spot. I found this beef stew recipe on Annie's and am entering it into the Cooking with Alicia & Annie blog event. 

Below is the original recipe, my note are in color:

Beef Stew with Green Peas

1 1/2 lb. boneless lean beef chuck steak, cut into 1/2" cubes

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 1/2 cup hot water (I used about 2 cups)

3 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes (we like potatoes so I added a few more, I also added onions)

2 medium carrots, thinly sliced

1 stalk celery, cut into 1/4" slices

1/4 cup catsup (I skipped this and the rest of the ingredients except for the peas) 

1 teaspoon brown bouquet sauce

1 clove garlic, minced (oh woops, I did put the garlic in!)

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cold water

1 package (10 oz.) frozen green peas, thawed & drained

The actual microwave instructions are below. What I did was dredge the meat in the flour, salt and pepper. Then I dumped the dredged meat in the crockpot, then added the potatoes, carrots, celery and garlic. I cooked it on low for 7 hours, then dumped in the peas and cooked for another 20 minutes.

Stir beef, 1/4 cup flour, the salt and pepper in 3 quart casserole until beef is coated. Add 2 1/2 cups water, the potatoes, carrots, celery, catsup, bouquet sauce and garlic. Microwave, covered, at high (100%) 5 minutes. Reduce power to medium (50%). Microwave until beef is tender, 40 minutes to 1 hour, stirring once or twice during cooking. Mix 2 tablespoons flour and 1/2 cup cold water until smooth. Stir flour mixture and peas into stew; cover. Microwave at medium (50%) until mixture thickens slightly and peas are tender, 10-15 minutes. Serve with rice or noodles, if desired.